Team 0
by OpenBook456
Summary: Deadly missions. ANBU promotions. Captain Uchiha. Haruno Sakura, ANBU's own very special medicinal expert, who's life got a tad bit more complicated. SakuraxItachi (non-massacre)
1. Chapter 1

9 S ranked missions. 21 A ranked missions. 23 B ranked.

ANBU combat medicinal expert. Glorified doctor. Deadly warrior. Perfectionist kunoichi. Haruno Sakura, 23, stood in front of her shishou, with her mouth parted in shock and disbelief.

She took a hesitant step forward. "N-nani?" she stammered watching the Hokage for any possible signs of amusement or travesty.

Her shishou raised a perfectly angled eyebrow at her in response. Glancing at her pink haired student Tsunade sighed.

"I said, beloved apprentice, that I'm recruiting you into ANBU's special unit." She paused and flicked her golden her off her shoulder before continuing, "Team 0. You have heard of them, have you not?" she said calmly.

Sakura's state of bewilderment increased drastically as she stared down at the floor, suddenly finding her mentor's office tiles offending. She looked up to see her shishou inspecting her with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"Hai, Tsunade-shishou, every ANBU officer gets briefed about Team 0 upon our promotions." She touches the mask engraved with an image of a tiger, attached to her hip pouch and continues, "Although everyone assumes its just a myth, something they tell operatives to keep them motivated enough…" she sighs and closes her eyes "…to do their jobs".

For an instance Sakura lets her exhaustion get to her and her toned shoulders sag half an inch. She opens her eyes and looks up to see her shishou leaning back in her chair and stretching her legs to balance her feet, with perfectly painted red toenails, upon her desk. Sakura braces herself for the inevitable.

"I assure you Sakura, Team 0 is not a myth." The way her student's eyes glance up in surprise amuses her endlessly. She smirks and wriggles her toes.

"Team 0 is an elite group, best of the best, hand-picked from our ANBU reserves. They usually handle important diplomatic emergencies and anything's that's an immediate critical threat to Konoha."

Sakura's confusion grows by the second. "Shishou I don't understand, isn't that what all ANBU do? We're directly under your command." Sakura stiffens as she considers abandoning her ANBU squad. "I can't just leave my teammates, it's not right!" she clenches her fist as her anger amplifies, "how can you do this to me shishou? Why me? Why not Sasuke or Naruto? They're both qualified ANBU too and Sasuke's a captain!" Sakura tries desperately to cling on what little information she has. "What's so special about Team 0?!" she almost screams. She raises her chin and stares into her shishou's eyes. "Why me?"

Tsunade meets her student's glare and purses her lips.

"Ano Sakura you're making it sound like a bad thing. It's a promotion." Tsunade drags her feet off the desk and proceeds to lean forward, resting her elbow on the desk, and her chin in her palm. "Also, you've been requested as an addition."

Sakura gasps audibly. Her mind, albeit it's excellency, cant comprehend why she'd be given this privilege over her infamous genin teammates. She doesn't undermine herself, however, she knows how much she's worth. Her days of insecurities and weaknesses are in the past, she's been beaten, shaped and carved into excellence, that of a special jounin and ANBU operative.

Her mind is doing cartwheels, she realizes she not only caught up to her teammates, but technically, out-maneuvered them, if not in skill, then in position. She allows herself a moment to gloat, however that moment is cut short by an amused snort followed by a silent chuckle.

"That's right, brat, it's a privilege, a damn big one too." Tsunade adds. She motions Sakura to come closer. "You were requested by the captain-commander of Team 0-"

Sakura's eyes widen as she mutters. "Who?"

Tsunade frowns, "Let me talk and maybe you'll find out!" she then mumbles something inaudible under her breath and continues. "Before I tell you, you need to understand the structure of Team 0." Tsunade pauses. "Sakura, this is classified information, so by staying now you are agreeing into joining."

Sakura's uncertainty comes off her in waves, she asks hesitantly "What about my team?"

Tsunade grants her a rare smile as she reaches into a drawer pulling out 3 folders, which she lays on her desk. "You will hand-pick and oversee the training of your replacement."

Sakura sighs as relief floods over her. A second passes and she composes herself. She looks up and her eyes shine ambitiously green. "Tell me, Shishou."

Tsunade's smile widens and she smacks her hand down upon her desk. "Yosh! You've made me proud, Sakura" she adds. Sakura's flustered look is almost endearing.

"Team 0 consists of 5 members, including the captain-commander. Now, 7 months ago Team 0 lost a member, hence the opening position." Tsunade's eyes glistened with anger upon the loss of potential. "Understandably, the captain-commander requested a medic on his team." She paused. "Not just a medic, Sakura, he requested a combat medicinal expert. And seeing as you are the only ANBU with that title, its safe to assume he meant you."

Sakura gulped and visibly tensed "Who is he shishou?"

As Tsunade grinned devilishly, Sakura knew her life was about to become a lot more complicated.

"Uchiha Itachi."


	2. Chapter 2

_A tiger does not loose sleep over sheep._

In her room, Sakura stood in front of the full-length mirror placed opposite her bed. She stared at her reflection. The mid-waist pink locks. The curvy, yet visibly athletic figure. Thin waist. Long legs. Short temper. The almond shaped green eyes, narrowing as her thoughts took her elsewhere. She replayed the conversation that took place with her shishou on a loop since yesterday morning.

She let out a lengthy sigh. It was time for her to meet her new team. Team 0.

She raised a shaky hand and put on her ANBU mask. She looked in the mirror. Looking back at her was a tiger. A tiger of whose teammates learned to trust and admire. A tiger, that loyally serves Konoha. A tiger, that does not loose sleep over sheep.

But Uchiha Itachi is far from a sheep, she thought. Her genin teammate's big brother had a reputation. One, which had lesser ANBU operatives running for their lives. He was respected, worshipped and feared by all. His name alone brought appreciation and pride in to the eyes of her shishou, which was enough for Sakura to want to crawl into her bed and forget she was ever initiated into the elite forces.

She met him once before, she recalled with an exasperated sigh.

When Naruto, Sasuke and her made it to chuunin at 15, they went out drinking. She grimaced at the memory. Naruto being Naruto got shit-faced and went on a drunken adventure to Ichiraku. Sasuke, however, was magnificently wasted and knowing his Uchiha pride, and just generally being a good friend, Sakura took it upon herself to make sure he got home in one piece.

Little did she know that Mikito-san and Fugaku-sama were away for the weekend. Stupid Sasuke. It was his entire fault.

Once she dragged his form onto the Uchiha household porch, she sensed that no one was at home. Did Sasuke plan on staying over at Naruto's? Why didn't he say anything?

Sakura carefully placed a barely conscious Sasuke on the doorframe, while she searched for the spare key hidden in a secret department under the rose bushes to the left.

It was definitely bruising to her ego and her kunoichi pride that she didn't even sense his presence. Or that he was watching them since they stepped foot into the Uchiha household.

He simply opened the front door, alarmingly fast, causing Sasuke, who was balancing against the doorframe, to face-plant against Sakura's chest.

Sakura looked up at his face at a speed, which would surely given anyone whiplash. She remembers her face turning fifty shades of red as Sasuke groaned into her chest and rubbed his sore back.

Itachi stood at the door, in all his Uchiha glory, wearing nothing but loose black pajama pants and raising an elegant eyebrow.

Sakura recalls with detail how he looked both lethal and sophisticated. Built like a true shinobi. Deadly aura. Passive nature. Like he could kill you softly. Sakura was alarmingly intrigued.

Her admiration was cut short when Sasuke tensed and sprung away from her. "Aniki! You- Are you- Good evening Aniki." Sasuke said, sobering in the process.

"Good evening, Sasuke" he replied, in a voice which reminded her of chocolate fondue, wrapped in sex appeal, wrapped in sociopathic tendencies. Her 15-year-old self could barely function when the legend named Uchiha Itachi payed her a glance. She froze as his eyes skimmed her form for a fraction of a second. He then briefly looked at Sasuke, after which Sakura saw him deflate comically, like a balloon. Without saying anything or looking back, Itachi slowly walked into the house, leaving the front door open.

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair and turned around to face her. "I'll see you tomorrow Sakura."

Sakura let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and nodded once. "Take care, Sasuke"

She hadn't seen Uchiha Itachi after that. She wondered if he remembered her. Well, he surely must know her now, enough to consider her joining his elite team. She briefly wondered who her other teammates were, whilst wiping her moistening palms onto the black tights of her ANBU uniform.

"Tiger, Sakura, you're a tiger." She reminded herself as she felt a familiar adrenaline rush.


End file.
